Final Post

I selected Taekwondo as my topic of choice to tweet and write about because I am currently training in Taekwondo. I thought it would be interesting to write about my journey to the black belt and to also offer my perspective as a woman in Taekwondo.

I invented Nikita Leon. Names I took from action movie heros Le Femme Nikita and Leon from the movie The Professional. Nikita started off as a woman who offered a woman's perspective in the world of Taekwondo. Many of her articles on her blog discussed the differences between men and women and her struggles in trying to prove women can do anything a man can do in Taekwondo and in life.

Nikita was able to express her ideas and voice using two social media outlets: Twitter and her Blog.

She never used Twitter before and was not sure how she was going to be able to express herself in less then 140 characters, but slowly she learned how. She took short sentences that had impact and would post these on Twitter to catch people's attention.


During the end of the semester Nikita began a transition and started evolving. She wanted to shift her typical man vs woman topics and look into more enlightening topics about women, such as inspirational women fighters.


Her last article, The History of Women Fighters, allowed her to research and find that women have been fighting for centuries. The article marked a wave of change for Nikita. While her focus in the past was men vs. women she has grown as a person and realized that there was a lot more to discuss about women in martial arts.


Nikita will continue to explore her voice using other medium such as YouTube to create videos for women learning Taekwondo and Facebook to create a woman's Taekwondo community page.

Though she has enjoyed writing weekly on her blog, her blog will be coming to an end and she will be using Twitter and Facebook to post updates on her progress in Taekwondo.

History of Women Fighters - Draft 2

Women's boxing in 1950s in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Women fighting is not a trend. Women from all over the world have been fighting for centuries.

There are many artifacts that have been found from thousands of years ago that let us take a peak into the world of women's fighting. Bronze statues show women fighters from around 300 BC who wrestled with both women and men.

In 1889 "female boxing became popular throughout the United States. Cuts were stitched on the spot, and the women often fought with broken noses, jaws, and teeth."

Female wrestling became popular in Europe in the 1900s. Masha Poddubnaya from Russia won the Women's World Championship in 1909 and went on to win the title six times in the 1900s.

In 1905 an article in the New York Evening World said "It is a good thing for a girl to learn to box," because "poise, grace and buoyancy of movement result from this exercise."


Masha Poddubnaya (on right)

"Young ladies attending the Madison Academy in New York City also boxed and wrestled. The wrestlers included Pauline Fausek and Evelyn Reilly, who talked glibly of half-Nelsons and hammerlocks, while Annie Lynch, the boxer, was said to "hit a harder blow than the average young man." At some women fighting events thousands of men would be in the audience.

In Japan the first professional women's wrestling organization was founded in 1948 and is still very popular today.

Two  female wrestlers in Bolivia.

In Mexico women are boxing and wresting. In Russia women are kickboxing. In Asia women are practicing wrestling and martial arts like Kung Fu.  In La Paz, Bolivia the "Fighting Cholitas" wrestle. They are indigenous women dressed in traditional Aymara clothing who wrestle with other women in a "luche libre" style. The "Fighting Cholitas" have become a very popular show for locals and tourists.

And in America more and more women are entering the boxing ring. In West Virginia the Toughman and Toughwoman contests began in 1979, with amateur women boxing in the ring and still popular today.

In the 1990's we saw a surge of women boxers. Most notably, Laila Ali, daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, "made her professional boxing debut on October 8, 1999. She knocked out her opponent in 31 seconds in the 1st round.  Laila retired from boxing as the undefeated Super Middleweight Boxing Champion of the world with a 24-0 record and with 21 knock-outs."

At the London 2012 Olympics "Nicola Adams from Great Britain, Katie Taylor from Ireland and Claressa Shields from the USA won the first-ever Olympic gold medals in women’s boxing in the categories of fly weight (51kg), light weight (60 kg) and middle weight (75 kg)."

And now we have women like Gina Carano (right) and Ronda Rousey ruling the world of Mixed Martial Arts. Rousey is the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.





Sources:

http://www.olympic.org/news/first-ever-olympic-medals-awarded-to-women-boxers/171926

http://www.lailaali.com/history/

http://www.fscclub.com/history/combat-history-e.shtml

http://msmagazine.com/blog/2011/11/03/women-boxers-advised-to-wear-skirts/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_World_Championship

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/7214478/Love-but-little-money-for-Mexicos-female-fighters.html

http://www.puroresu.com/zenjo/



History of Women Fighters - Draft 1

Women's boxing in 1950s in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Women fighters hail from all over the globe starting from the beginning of time. There is evidence of women fighters from before 300 BC who wrestled with both women and men.

In 1889 "female boxing became popular throughout the United States. Cuts were stitched on the spot, and the women often fought with broken noses, jaws, and teeth."

In the 1900s female wrestling became popular in Europe. Masha Poddubnaya, wife of the great Russian wrestler Ivan Poddubny, claimed the women’s title.

In 1905 an issue of the New York Evening World said "It is a good thing for a girl to learn to box," because "poise, grace and buoyancy of movement result from this exercise."

"According to the New York World, young ladies attending the Madison Academy in New York City also boxed and wrestled. The wrestlers included Pauline Fausek and Evelyn Reilly, who talked glibly of half-Nelsons and hammerlocks, while Annie Lynch, the boxer, was said to "hit a harder blow than the average young man." At some events hundreds



Two  female wrestlers in Bolivia.

And around the world women are fighting. In Mexico women are boxing. In Asia women are practicing martial arts like Kung Fu.

In La Paz, Bolivia some of the indigenous women are called the "Fighting Cholitas". These women are indigenous women dressed in traditional Aymara clothing who wrestle with other women in a "luche libre" style.


And in America more and more women are entering the boxing ring. In West Virginia the Toughman and Toughwoman contests began in 1979, with amateur women boxing in the ring and still popular today.

In the 1990's we saw a surge of women boxers. Most notably, Laila Ali, daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali "made her professional boxing debut on October 8, 1999, she knocked out her opponent in 31 seconds into the 1st round.  Laila retired from boxing as the undefeated Super Middleweight Boxing Champion of the world with a 24-0 record, with 21 knock-outs."

And most recently at the London 2012 Olympics "Nicola Adams from Great Britain, Katie Taylor from Ireland and Claressa Shields from the USA have won the first-ever Olympic gold medals in women’s boxing in the categories of fly weight (51kg), light weight (60 kg) and middle weight (75 kg)."



Mixed Martial Artist Gina Carano.

And now we have women ruling the world of Mixed Martial Arts, with greats like Gina Carano and Ronda Rousey.  Ronda is the first UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.

Catching a glimpse the history of women fighting and seeing where it is now is very inspiring.  Though it may seem like women fighting is unheard of or new now that we are seeing more women like Ronda Rousey, the truth is that women have been in the ring fighting since the beginning of time.







Sources:

http://www.olympic.org/news/first-ever-olympic-medals-awarded-to-women-boxers/171926

http://www.lailaali.com/history/

http://www.fscclub.com/history/combat-history-e.shtml

http://msmagazine.com/blog/2011/11/03/women-boxers-advised-to-wear-skirts/

Social Media Campaign

There are quite a few social media campaigns in the past few years that have caught my eye, for example who doesn't know the Old Spice commercials and YouTube videos?

Most recently there have been well known social media campaigns that have caught my attention as well. "The Human Rights Campaign launched one of the most visible campaigns in Facebook history, to accompany real life demonstrations outside the Supreme Court on the eve of two historic marriage equality hearings. Millions of Facebook users adopted a red version of the HRC's equal sign logo.
According to Facebook, some 120% more users changed their profile pictures on Tuesday, March 26 than on the previous Tuesday. The logo received 10 million impressions, 189,177 shares, 95,725 likes and appeared more than 18 million times in News Feeds."

Additionally, I have been very moved with Morgan Harrington's family and their dedication to helping women and families of missing children and women.

Morgan was a young college student who was at a Metallica concert in 2009 and went missing after the show. Her family created a Facebook page to get the attention it deserved and needed to help find Morgan.

Unfortunately, her body was found a few months later and the murderer is still at large. Her facebook page became "Help Save the Next Girl". You can visit the page here: https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheNextGirl

The goal of the campaign is to share information about currently missing women, so that we can help save the next girl or women who had been kidnapped or missing.

I follow the page and unfortunately often there is a new update with a new picture of a young woman missing or a sketch of a perpetrator. You never know when you might see someone in public that is on the page. So I think it's important to be vigilant and together as a community we can make a big difference.

Though I enjoy working on the blog getting readers is difficult. I personally enjoy the quick reach I have on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for my social media presence.

Twitter allows me to reach my target audience quickly using hashtags and a few words, so I intend to continue using Twitter.

Instagram allows me to also use hashtags and use photos and video to capture an audience. I would be able to use Instagram to take photos/videos of me training in Taekwondo (TKD).

The majority of people I know are on Facebook. I am able to quickly share updates and photos with friends and family on my personal page. I would like to create a TKD Women Facebook page, so that I could gather a large group of women and we can share ideas, and also share status updates. I would love to see photos of other women competing in TKD. Facebook would allow for us to build a community of support.

Lastly, using YouTube would allow for me to create tutorials for the YouTube TKD audience. I would choose YouTube over Vimeo for my TKD tutorials because for an unknown reason I correlate Vimeo with an artsy audience. I think YouTube has a larger audience that would be searching for Taekwondo videos. I know that YouTube is the first place I look when I am looking for a specific video in TKD.

Competition Results

I couldn't sleep on Friday night. I came back from our second and final team demo practice around 10 PM and couldn't fall asleep until 2 AM and had to wake up at 6 AM to get ready for the competition.

On Saturday morning I had planned to make myself a high protein breakfast, stretch and to meditate, but that did not happen.

My nerves got to the best of me. I couldn't even eat and had to force myself to eat half a protein bar in the car.

I arrived at the competition tired, yet strangely alert. I thought I was going to throw up a few times. The butterflies in my stomach made me queasy. However, as soon as I walked into the gymnasium and saw my Master and a few of my classmates from my Taekwondo school I felt relieved.

At 8:30 AM we would start Team Demonstrations. The night before we had our last practice, but the entire demonstration was changed last minute due to a few people dropping out, so technically it was our first and last practice. My position moved to be in the front of the entire team. I was so worried I was going to forget what I had to do. When the music started, I had a rush over me and just let my hands and feet do what they needed to do without a second thought. Our team did an amazing job, we had people do some amazing flips and then end with a break, we had a few members do a nunchuck and sword routine, and we all did choreographed form and dance in front of the judges and audience.

There were a few other teams after us. Those teams only had a small group of black belts performing. They executed some amazing kicks off ladders blindfolded and other neat things I had never seen before, but they all lacked enthusiasm and many missed breaks.

The Team Demonstrations were finished by 10 AM and the winners were announced. My team won!

Children began competing shortly after, next would be Junior (11 - 17 years old) and then Adults (18+) would go after.

We were supposed to start at 2:30 PM, but we didn't start until 4:30 PM. The adults grew tired and restless as the day went on.

I was worried that by the time I would go on the mats in front of the judges I would be too tired to perform. 

Around 4:45 PM I was called to go in front of three judges to perform my Form. One judge would watch my lower body, the second judge my upper body, and the last judge (a master) would judge overall.

As I predicted there wasn't many women competitors.
I bowed in front of the judges and waited for for the Korean command to begin. I took my time and made sure to show the details in my hands and feet position and also show snap in my punches in kicks. I won gold in form.

Next, in front of the same three judges  I competed in breaking. I performed four breaks:

1. Spinning knife hand on an inch board
2. A jumping hammer first on an inch and half board
3. A spinning round house kick on an inch board
4. A jumping front kick on a half inch board

Most women broke only half inch boards, so I knew I would have an edge if I broke an inch or higher board and I was right because I won gold in wood breaking.

I went home with two gold medals. I was so happy, yet I was disappointed that there was not many women were competing. There were no adult women who were competing in sparring, only a handful in form, and maybe 2 handfuls in breaking.

I have a few goals for next year's competition.

1. Improve on my breaking. I would like to break more boards. My goal will be to break two one inch boards and to all add some fun jumps and spins.

2. To encourage and recruit more women in competing. Even though I was competing with a handful or two, all the women were very supportive of each other. We all cheered each other on, hugged, shook hands and bowed to each other.

Movie Script - Revenge

Revenge is a movie about a young woman who is kidnapped the day before her sister's eighth birthday. As she goes shopping for presents and decorations she is kidnapped and disappears.

Ten years later her younger sister, Nikita, is 18 and heads out for a night with friends for dinner and a movie. As she walks back to her car she is kidnapped. Nikita soon finds out that she's with the same man who kidnapped his sister 10 years ago.

What he doesn't know is that she's been waiting for this moment all her life and is ready to fight him and his men until the very end end. She's ready for her revenge.



FADE IN:

VENDOR MARKET IN SOUTH AMERICA       DAY

Young woman finds a pretty necklace hanging from a vendor stand and buys it.

CAMILLE

How much is this necklace?

VENDOR

$25

CAMILLE

This would be perfect for my little sister.
It's her birthday tomorrow.

VENDOR

I will also include this matching bracelet.
You can wear it and give her
the necklace. That way you both
have it.

CAMILLE

Oh. Thank you so much.

That's so kind of you.

She leaves the vendor happily and shops at different vendors buying birthday party decorations.

ALLEY     DAY

She walks with two bags in both hands. The sun shines on her as she walks through an empty alley. Man comes from behind her and puts her in his car. She drops a bag.

OUTSIDE OF HOME     EVENING

Camera moves down the street and stops in front of a home. Camera moves toward window. 

Camera view goes inside the home through the window.

A little girl and boy plays with toys in the living room while their mother watches them from the couch as she speaks to a police officer.

The mother is worried and crying and the police office is writing down notes.

MOTHER

I last saw her at 11 this morning.
She's wearing a blue dress.
She went to the vendor market to buy
some decorations and gifts for her
sister's birthday tomorrow.

POLICE OFFICER

Have you both been arguing or fighting?

MOTHER

No. Not at all! She didn't run away if
that's what you are trying to say.

POLICE OFFICER

  I am sorry. It's just that we find that
many girls her age run off to
be with their boyfriends or friends.
Then come home a few days later.

Has she been acting unusual recently?

MOTHER

No. She's not like that. She's always home
with me. She's quiet and doesn't
have many friends. She keeps to herself.

POLICE OFFICER
Does she have a boyfriend?

MOTHER

No. 

POLICE OFFICER
Is there any friends of hers you can call
to ask if they have seen her.

MOTHER

She only talks to three girls at school.

I called all three of them and they last saw her
at school yesterday and haven't seen her since.

I know something is wrong. She doesn't
just run off like that. Someone took her.

POLICE OFFICER
We have a few patrol cars looking around the markets
and asking vendors and neighbors if they
have seen her. We are also working
with stores and banks down town to see
if we can find video footage of her.

Mother walks police officer to door and they talk more. Younger daughter looks on and listens to them as they speak.

CAR        NIGHT

Mother drives around town and neighboring towns all night with two children in the back of the car sleeping.

Youngest daughter wakes up.

NIKITA
Mom? Where is Camille?

MOTHER
Honey. Don't worry. Go back to sleep.

NIKITA

Will she be at my party tomorrow?

MOTHER
Yes, sweetie. She will be there.

Daughter goes back to sleep. Mother drives and sobs quietly so children cannot hear her.

Mother stops outside of vendor markets and finds an alley. She looks at a bag on the floor and finds birthday decorations inside.

10 YEARS LATER

NIKITA

Mom?! I will see you later. I am going to
the movies with Alana.

MOTHER
You didn't tell me you were going out tonight.

What movie theater? What time does the movie

start? And what time will you be home?

NIKITA
Mom. I will be back before midnight.

MOTHER

You have your cell phone with you?

Call me when you get there.

NIKITA

Of course mom. Don't worry.
I will call you as soon as I get there.

Getting Ready for Competition

My first Taekwondo competition is next weekend. I will be competing in three different categories: forms, breaking, and a team demonstration. I have been training for this competition since I first heard about it 4 months ago. Every day I have been practicing forms, strengthening my leg muscles, and stretching so I can have a wider and longer range in my kicks. I have also kicked it up a notch to lose a few more pounds. I lost 5 more pounds and have been building more muscle, by doing cardio and strength training.

This is a small competition from what I hear, I believe about 200 men, women and children will be competing. However, I have been taking it very seriously. For me it's a way to prove to myself what I am capable of achieving with hard work and practice.

Form, also known as Poomsae in Korean, is one of the four things we learn for each belt we earn. We earn a total of thirteen belts before testing for the Black belt.

However, we learn only eight forms for the first eight belts. For the remaining 4 belts we go back and re-train in all eight forms perfecting them before we can test for the Black belt. Below is a great video showing all eight forms. Forms are choreographed offensive and defensive movements. We are trained to pretend that when we perform these forms that there is someone in front of us that we are delivering kicks and punches to. For the competition I will be performing the fourth form, Taejuk Sa Jang.

The video below does a good job showing all eight forms.

In addition to competing in forms, I will also be competing with my school in a team demo. We have about 50 students from our school all participating in the team demo.

Lastly, I will also compete in the breaking category. I have to perform three different breaks of my choice.

I will be performing the following:

1. A spinning knife hand break, quickly followed by a jumping hammer fist break.
2. A double round house kick or a side kick or a spinning hook kick
3. A flying front kick.

Below is a good example of three stations of breaking that will be similar to mine. She starts with a spinning knife hand break. Her second break is a spinning hook kick, which I have been thinking about doing instead of a double round house kick, but I haven't been officially taught that kick and break yet, so my Master doesn't think I should perform it unless I am confident I can.

In the video she missed and during a competition missing is not an option, if you miss you will not get another opportunity to re-try to break and you will be deducted points.

This week during my regular scheduled training sessions at the dojo I will be practicing breaking boards. And I will be learning more about the rules and etiquette of a competition, for example when I should bow, how many times I have to yell "ki-hap" during the breaking competition.

I am lucky because we have an Instructor in my class who also judges TKD tournaments , so I hope to pick his brain this week to learn some insider tips on what they are looking for. I am also hoping to get a female point of view on things like how I should wear my hair, should I not wear any make-up or jewelry. It's hard to ask these types of things to my male Master, so I am hoping I can find an upper belt in my class who has competed and could let me know.